DEMYSTIFYING MONITORING AND EVALUATION – INTRODUCTION

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People have a different understanding of monitoring and evaluation due to varied field practices and perceptions developed out of differentt experiences. Historically, monitoring and evaluation was directed to monitoring project activities because that is what the development workers thought they were to be accountable for and donors did not mind. However, by the year 2000, the donors started putting pressure on development organisations demanding more accountability at higher level of developmental results rather than activities implemented. The development results refer to as outcomes and impact of development work in international development circles. The shift of development from activities implementation to realisation of actual benefits to target beneficiaries also reinforced the demand leaving development organisations with no option but to show value for money by generating evidence on the effectiveness of development work.
This push for accountability was met with a lot of resistance from development organizations who considered then monitoring and evaluation has policing tool for the donors. To date, development workers still view monitoring and evaluation personnel as a person who follow people to see what they are doing. These perceptions, however, is changing and it is expected with time they appreciate the full benefit of monitoring and evaluation. It should be clear by now that monitoring, and evaluation help development organisations document changes observed (outcomes) in the target beneficiaries’ lives as a results of donor investment. So, it is no longer a policing instrument but an effective tool to tell a change story in the international development.